It’s the time of year when many talk about angels.
Mostly, angels announce the birth of Jesus, a particularly important event for Christians.
But I want to talk about a different kind of angel.
each other.
Broken but raised
I don’t write columns very often. I’m a reporter at the Free Press, largely covering Macomb County but often expanding my work to include courts, crime, politics, health and health care. But I felt like writing a column, after a recent event that got me thinking about angels.
Over Thanksgiving, we traveled to visit family out of state. All of our relatives live outside of Michigan, so, like many, we loaded up our teenage son and dog, and headed off to spend some time with our family on one of America’s most popular vacations.
On the way from my in-laws’ house in West Virginia to my parents’ house south of Pittsburgh on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, my husband’s car engine was hot.
We were very Lucky for us we made it to my parents house, where we had a safe place to stay and weren’t stranded on the side of the road in below freezing temperatures. But the news that came the following Monday was not so pleasant. Water pump failure. Coolant interference. Metal in oil. Need another engine.
Never use the words you want to hear when talking about your car, if you’re lucky enough to own one. Especially those that have been paid.
We rented a car to get back home to Michigan, to think about our next steps, and weigh the cost of repairs versus buying or leasing another car, or becoming a one-car family. Then unexpected repairs to my car after we got home put off talking about the future of my husband’s car.
Like many of you, money is tight. Bills need paid. Credit card APRs continue to rise. Like everyone else, we need food to eat (I pinch coins and clip coupons to save at the store, a practice my family will tell you I take to the extreme). Lil Man – our teenage son – continues to grow out of clothes and shoes. The biggest gift-giving holiday has been breathing down our necks.
This time of year is full of stress, even though it is supposed to be the happiest time of the year. There are incentives to give here, tingles for attending holiday parties there. The chaos of the end of the year is overwhelming.
However, there are angels.
Angels are everywhere
The owners allowed us to arrive safely at my parents’ house. Maybe that was my mother who died 12 years ago.
My dad was like an angel who made calls to the local mechanics in my small hometown, trying to make a bad situation better.
My neighbors are angels. They offered the use of their cars while we figured out our next steps, as we both work full time and have commitments to school, work, church, and other things. (Our neighbors even dropped some bottles of wine on our porch as we walked home, thinking a glass might be ready when we got back. I’m not going to lie, they were right.)
The friends who took me to dinner on my 50th birthday are angels. Not because they took me to a birthday dinner, but because they are there, anytime I need a call, text, or hug, even if it’s just a symbolic text.
We all have angels. And we all can He is Angels.
Angels come in all shapes, sizes and quantities
It’s not that difficult. We don’t have to overdo it.
If we have the money, we can help a family in need with holiday gifts, especially basics like clothes and shoes. We can send a small gift card to our children’s teachers or simply thank them for the work they do.
If we have spare cash, we can put it in the Salvation Army red kettle, or in the tip jar when we pick up takeout.
Being an angel might mean shoveling your neighbor’s driveway when it snows, or holding the door open for a stranger as you enter or exit the building.
That could mean driving a meal for a senior in the home or for a family who can’t afford food this time of year. Or actually, any time of the year.
That could mean donating a snack, money, or warm socks to a homeless person on the side of the road. Sometimes a smile, wave, or nod of acknowledgment goes a long way, too.
This could mean being a kinder driver on the road, or counting to five before speaking up when you’re upset or frustrated with someone.
It could mean a physical hug or a heart emoji in a text message to a friend or loved one who needs it.
It can mean supportive words to someone who needs to hear them.
Or simply listen when someone needs you to listen.
It could be a hundred other things. But it can be done.
This can be done with only one person, being an angel to another.
Christina Hall is a Free Press staff writer. Contact: chall@freepress.com. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @challreporter. Support local journalism. Subscribe For the free press.
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